Beehive comb frame construction



June 9, 1953 o. ERDMANN BEEHIVE COMB FRAME CONSTRUCTION Filed Nov. 3,1949 Patented June 9, 1953 UNITED STATI-1s Param ori-lcs BEEHIVE COMEFRAME CON'STRUCTIGN Otto Erdmann, Watertown, Wis., assignm to G. B.Lewis Company, Watertown, Wis., a conporation of Wisconsin ApplicationNovember 3, 1949, Serial No. 125,177

(Cl. 6-v-10) 5 Claims. 1

My invention relates generally to frames for beehives such as are usedto support the foundation and the honey stored thereon.

Many beekeepers frequently transport their beehives from one locale toanother and this is usually done by truck. The beehives and thecomponent parts thereof are therefore subjected to considerablevibration and violent jolts. The weight of the foundation together withthe honey stored thereon in a single frame may be as much as ten poundsand it is therefore important that the frames be strong and wellconstructed.

Beehives frames are customarily sold unassembled and the purchaserthereof is required to fit the parts of the frame together and securethem by nailing, and it is therefore important that the parts of theframes be so constructed that they may be easily and quickly assembled,In the past it has been customary to construct the frames so that theparts could be intertted by mortise and tenori joints requiring but asingle nail at each joint. This nailing operation frequently resulted insplitting or otherwise dama.,- ing the wooden frame parts withconsequent weakening of the frame structure, and occasionally in damagesufficiently severe to make the frame unusable.

It is therefore a primary object of my invention to provide a beehiveframe construction the parts of which may be easily and quickly ar- I'.

sembled and in which a minimum of nailing is required, or in which thenailing operation is completely eliminated.

A further object is to provide an improved bee hive frame in which thestrain carrying joints between the parte are of such construction thatthe forces due to vibration and shock in trans.

porting the loaded frame are transmitted from the end bars to the topbar directly without the use of nails.

Other objects will appear from the following description, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of a complete frame, a portion of thelower bar being shown in section;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary side elevational view illustrating themanner in which the end bars are secured to the top bar;

Fig. 3. is a fragmentary plan view of the joint between the top bar andone of the end bars.;

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the joint between one of the `endbars and the top bar;

Fig. 5 isa fragmentary sectional View takenon the line 5-5 ofFg. 2;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view looking upwardly at one end of the top bar;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary perspective view of a modified form of theinvention illustrating the joints between one end bar yand the top andbottombars;

Fig.r 8 illustrates a further modification of the invention, being aperspective view of the joint between an end bar and the top bar.

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of an additional modified form of jointbetween the top bar and one of the side bars; and

Fig. l is a perspective View of a joint between the top bar and side barof a hive frame.

As best shown in Fig. 1 the beehive frame comprises a top bar I2, leftand right side on end bars I3 and Ill, and a lower bar I5. The top barI2 is provided with a longitudinal groove I6 and the bottom bar I isprovided with a similar longitudinal groove I 8 for the reception of thecomb foundation. The upper bar I2 has its extremities 2B extendingbeyond the end bars I3 and IlI to rest upon the frame supports whichform parts of the hive. Each of these extremities has a reduced widthend portion 22 to limit the area of contact, or near contact, with theside walls of the beehive.

The top bar is provided with a pair of vertical grooves 24 for thereception of the upwardly projecting portions 25 of the end bars I3 `andIll, these end portions having a substantially quarter round upper endsurface 2B, as best shown in Fig. 2.

Ashort distance below the upper ends of each of the side bars there isprovided a transverse wedge shaped notch or groove which is adapted toreceive wedge shaped projections 32 formed on the top bar I 2. Theseprojections 32 extend into the space definedv by the planes of the sidesof the grooves 24. By virtue of this arrangement the end bars I3 and Illmay be connected to the top loa-r1.2 by inserting the projecting parts2t thereof into the grooves 24 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 2,commencing the operation by moving the parts to the relative positionsshown in dot-dash line a, swinging the end bar counterH clockwise to theposition which is shown in dot dash lines at b, and completing theassembly by moving the end bar I3 to the position illustrated by thefull lines c. In the latter position the wedge shaped projections 32will have been engaged in the groove 3B, and the projections 26 of` theend bar will have engaged in the grooves 24 so that the end bar will belocked to the top bar I2 against movement except for clockwise swingingand sliding movement in the direction opposite that by which the jointbetween these parts was made.

After both end bars I3 and I4 have thus been attached to the top bar I2the ends of lower bar I5 are inserted in complementary notches formed inthe lower ends of the end bars I3 and I4 and are secured in thisposition by a pair of nails 36. It will be observed that these nailsserve mainly to hold the end bars I3 and I4 against outward swingingmovement and that the weight of the foundation and honey supportedthereon is carried mainly by the projections 32, the force being appliedto the upper inclined surfaces of these projections. 'Ihe end bars I3,I4 are provided with holes 33 for the reception of wires by which thefoundation'is supported in part.

It has been found that the projections 32 may be of relatively smalldimensions and still be adequate to support the required load. This hasbeen found by break-down, or ultimate strength, tests which show thatupon sufficient overloading the fracture does not occur at the base ofthe wedge shaped projections 32 but rather a considerable distance abovethe projections 32. That is, the end of the bar I?? (in which the grainis longitudinal) will split near its horizontal center plane. This isprobably due in part to the fact that portions of the end bar I3 abovethe notch 3d frictionally engage the walls of the grooves 2li and theend surfaces of the bar I2 which are in the same plane as the innerwalls of the grooves 24 are maintained in firm contact by the bottom barI5, since the end bars I3 and I4 are flexed inwardly slightly insecuring them to the bottom bar Iii.

From the foregoing it will be clear that in assembling the frame, thetwo end bars I3 and I4 are easily slipped and swung into place and thatthe assembly of the frame is completed merely by nailing bottom bar I5to the lower ends of the end bars. The time necessary for the assemblyof a frame of this construction is therefore materially reduced and atthe same time the joints between the upper ends of the end bars I 3 andIll and the top bar I2 are approximately 4.0 per cent stronger than inframes of conventional constructions.

A modiiied form of the invention is shown in Fig. wherein the top bar Mlof the frame is provided with a downwardly facing mortise groove 42 andan outwardly facing groove M for the reception of the upper end of theend bar 46, the latter having a groove i8 for the reception ofprojecting part 4B of the top bar 46, a projection 52 for reception inthe groove t2, and a projection 54 for receipt in the groove 44. The endbar di; is joined to the lower bar 56 by a similar joint. In assemblinga frame having joints of the construction shown in Fig. 7, it isnecessary merely to slide the end bar transversely of the top bar 40 andof the bottom bar 5d to bring the parts into vertical alignment. Thefriction between the contacting surface is sufficient to hold the partsassembled. The co-operating parts of the joints are preferably sodimensioned that a very slight, substantially unnoticeable bowing of theend pieces 46 takes place when the end bars 4S are assembled to theupper and lower bars i and t, thus more certainly to hold the partsassembled because of increased friction. It is also desirable, if thewood employed for the end bars will have a tendency to warp, that thestrains due to such incipient warping will tend to tighten rather thanloosen the joints.

In the construction shown in Fig. 8, the top bar 60 is provided at itsends with long radius arcuate grooves 62 for the reception of the twoupper upwardly projecting portions 64 of the end bars 6E, which areconformed to t into the grooves G2. The frame of Fig. 8 is assembled inthe same manner as described above with reference to the frame of Figs.1 to 6. The surface S8 of the upper part of the end bar 66 frictionallyengages the end of the top bar 60 and the arcuate surfaces of thegrooves 62 prevent downward movement of the `end bar E6 relative to thetop bar 60.

Further modification of the joint may be made as shown in Fig. 9 whereinthe end bar II is provided with a transverse generally rectangularprojection 'I2 which engages in a transverse notch 'I4 formed in the endface of the top bar 1E. In other respects the construction is similar tothat of Figs. l to 6.

A further modification is illustrated in Fig. l0, this modificationbeing similar to that shown in Figs. l to 6 except that the top bar Ilis provided with a generally rectangular transverse projection I8 whichengages in a groove 80 formed in the end bar 82.

The modified forms of the invention shown in Figs. '7, 8, 9 and 10provide strong joints between the end bars and the top bar, and in theconstruction shown in Fig. '7 between the end bars and the bottom bar,but in each form of the invention the parts of the frame may beassembled very rapidly, the form shown in Fig. 7 without any toolswhatsoever and the remaining forms o the invention merely by driving twonails into the joints between the bottom bar and the end bars. In allforms of the invention the joint formed between the top bar and the endbars is substantially stronger than the corresponding joints in framesof conventional construction and the frames are thus better able towithstand vibration and shock to which they are frequently subjected inthe course of transporting the beehives and also in handling the framesduring the process of extraction.

While I have shown particular embodiments of my invention it will beapparent that numerous variations and modications thereof may be madewithout departing from the underlying principles of the invention. Itherefore desire by the following claims to include within the scope ofthe invention all such variations and modifications by whichsubstantially the results of my invention may be obtained through theuse of substantially the same or equivalent means.

I claim:

l. A beehive frame comprising a top bar, a pair .of side bars, and abottom bar, the top bar having aligned vertical grooves in its sidesnear each end thereof and having horizontal projections extendingpartially into the space defined by the planes of the sides of thegrooves, the upper end of each side bar having a pair of projectionsfitting into the grooves in the top bar and having a groove receivingone of said projections of the top bar, and means securing the lowerends of the side bars to the ends of the bottom bar.

2 The combination set forth in claim 1, ln which the pairs ofprojections on the side bars which lit in the vertical grooves of thetop bar have substantially quarter round upper ends.

3. A beehive frame comprising a top bar, a pair of side bars, and abottom bar, the top bar having spaced aligned arcuate generally verticalgrooves in its sides near each end thereof, the upper end of each sidebar having a pair of projections complemental to and fitting in thegrooves in the top bar, and means securing the bottom bar to the lowerend of each side bar.

4. A wooden beehive frame comprising a top bar having near each endthereof a pair of generally vertical grooves in its sides, a pair ofside bars each having a pair of tongues at its upper end ttng snugly inthe generally vertical grooves in the top bar, said side bars and thetop bar near its ends having a generally horizontal tongue and grooveconnection forming the only positive means to resist downward movementof the side bars with respect to the top bar, and a bottom bar havingits ends secured to the lower ends of the side bars.

5. A pendant type Wooden beehive frame having a top bar, a pair of sidebars, and a bottom bar to be joined together to provide a hollowrectangle, the joints between the side bars and top bar comprisingintegral parts of the bars providing complementary horizontal andvertical interengaging grooves and projections which may be disengagedonly yby swinging the side bars outwardly relative to the top bar, thehorizontal projections being the sole positive means preventingseverance of the joints by downwardly directed forces applied to theside bars, and means securing the lower ends of the side bars to theends of the bottom bar respectively, thereby to prevent the side barsfrom being swung outwardly and thus to maintain the joints between theupper ends of the side bars and the ends of the top bar.

